mise en abyme
/ˌmiːz ɒn aˈbɪːm/ /ˌmiːz ɒn əˈbɪːm/(also mise-en-abîme, mis-en-abîme) Literary Theory
noun
(A term denoting) self-reflection within the structure of a literary work; a work employing self-reflection.
Origin
1960s; earliest use found in Yale French Studies. From French mise en abyme from mise + en into + abyme, variant of abîme, after mettre en abyme, in which abyme is used in the specifically heraldic sense of the centre of an escutcheon.